With Mothering Sunday fast approaching (Sunday 15th March - just in case you forgot), the special date also falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Whatever you’re thinking about giving up for Lent, whether it’s chocolate, or alcohol, here at Maps International we believe showing how much you love and appreciate your mother is something you should never stop doing.

Mother’s Day is always a really lovely time of the year, you get to show one of the most special and important people in your life how much you cherish her. If you’re stuck for ideas, and you’re looking to purchase something really individual and special, dont panic! We’ve got just the solution for you.

Our Personalised ‘Home is Where Mum is’ Map lets you remind your mum how important she is and that you still feel your heart is at home with her; with you being able to centre the map on your very own postcode, it truly is a unique gift created just for her. You could use any postcode from the childhood home you grew up in and have fond memories of, to the holiday cottage you used to spend your summers in. What postcode you choose, is really up to you!

There are a variety of border colours to choose from which allows you to tailor the gift to suit your family home and the map can be kept for a lifetime, for family, and friends to admire.

This map is an easy way to create a personalised and thoughtful gift for your mum for Mother’s Day, in just a few minutes in the comfort of your own home. She’s guaranteed to love this map, as the personalised touch means it’s completely tailored to suit her, making it an extra special gift that you won’t find anywhere else!

So with prices starting at £50.00 order now, and with free UK shipping you can relax with the knowledge that your gift is taken care of for this special day.

]]>http://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/index.php/2015/02/24/personalised-gifts-this-mothers-day-home-is-where-mum-is-map/feed/Valentine’s Day gifts - The best journeys are worth sharinghttp://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/index.php/2015/02/05/valentines-day-gifts-the-best-journeys-are-worth-sharing/
http://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/index.php/2015/02/05/valentines-day-gifts-the-best-journeys-are-worth-sharing/#commentsThu, 05 Feb 2015 14:19:35 +0000Liamhttp://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/?p=2452February has graced us with its presence once again, and for a lot of individuals that only means one thing - no, not a few days closer to longer and sunnier afternoons, I’m talking about Valentines Day!

Whether you’re planning something special for your loved one, or looking to give a truly unique and personal gift to your friend, we have an amazing product which is guaranteed to bring great joy to the recipient.

Some of us are very on the ball when planning and preparing Valentine’s Day gifts, whilst others tend to leave it more to the last minute, either way Valentines Day gifts are always difficult to choose. When thinking of a gift you want something thoughtful and unique to suit your partner. We believe that our range of Personalised Maps are a brilliant way to create an individual gift; they make a great addition to any home and are something which you can keep forever.

Valentine's Day gifts - The best journeys are worth sharing

In just a few simple steps you can make your own inspired Valentines Day gift by choosing the border colour and title and/or a subtitle, as well as the style of the map. With the option to add a pack of white luggage tags, you can label and mark on places which mean something to both you and your partner. These could range from where you first met, to your favourite holiday destinations. With these options available it is very much a unisex gift, and something which you can enjoy together and display in your home for family and friends to admire. And hey, the best journeys are worth sharing right?

So with Valentine’s Day not too far away and with prices for the map starting at £44.10 – what are you waiting for? Head over to Maps International and order your Valentine’s Day gift in the comfort of your own home and get free delivery now.

]]>http://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/index.php/2015/02/05/valentines-day-gifts-the-best-journeys-are-worth-sharing/feed/Creative Map Art - Bedroom Ideas for Kidshttp://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/index.php/2015/01/27/creative-map-art-bedroom-ideas-for-kids/
http://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/index.php/2015/01/27/creative-map-art-bedroom-ideas-for-kids/#commentsTue, 27 Jan 2015 14:58:26 +0000Liamhttp://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/?p=2431By decorating your child’s room with a map, you can be sure that it will be one of the few things that will stand the test of time as the child grows up. A map is unusual in the fact that it appeals to kids of all ages, and is very much a unisex product. It can be used for a variety of different things from tracking all the places the child visits through the years, to providing the answer to a homework question asking the capital city of an obscure country.

A map also makes a great educational tool. After all, an Ofsted report, which was based on observations of geography classes at 91 primary and 90 secondary schools between 2007 and 2010, found that all but the best students were “spatially naïve” due to them being unable to locate countries, key mountain ranges or other features with any degree of confidence. For example, they understood about development issues in Kenya but had little or no idea of where Kenya was in Africa.

With this in mind, not only have we thought of some fantastic bedroom ideas for kids, we have also recently updated our Children’s Art Map range, with more colourful designs which can be seen below. As well as helping your child brush up on their geography knowledge, The new brighter styles of map we believe will help to engage children more, and with the new labels applied it makes the map clearer and easier to read.

Like the look of these designs? On our website we currently stock our updated Children’s Art Map of the World in two different colours, Blue and Pink, so you are guaranteed to find a design that will suit and compliment your child’s room in a good fashion.

Bedroom Ideas for Kids: Children’s Art Map of the World - Blue

Children’s Art Map of the World - Blue

Bedroom Ideas for Kids: Children’s Art Map of the World - Pink

Children’s Art Map of the World - Pink

Children are sure to benefit, with this fun and educational wall map that will provide a unique and stylish touch to their room. We hope to have provided you with some bedroom ideas for kids, and I’m sure our Map Art selection will look simply stunning hung up on the kids bedroom wall.

]]>http://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/index.php/2015/01/27/creative-map-art-bedroom-ideas-for-kids/feed/My Top 10 Favourite Map Tattooshttp://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/index.php/2015/01/21/my-top-10-favourite-map-tattoos/
http://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/index.php/2015/01/21/my-top-10-favourite-map-tattoos/#commentsWed, 21 Jan 2015 12:25:07 +0000Liamhttp://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/?p=2367In the news this week, we saw Kevin Pietersen get a brand new tattoo, which appealed to us, as he got a map of the world inked across his body. This inspired me to do a bit of research, to see if anybody else has similar tattoos that also showcase their passion for mapping and travel.

Tattoos are a wonderful way to display something that may have sentimental value to you, or may remind you of something. Tattoos can also act as a pure display of art. Getting tatted’ is a great way to express yourself in a unique art form which is personal to you. In this article, I will be looking at my top 10 favourite map tattoos which I’ve come across courtesy of both Buzznet and Pinterest.

10.

9.

8.

7.

6.

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

These marvellous tattoos range from black outlined back pieces to a colourful artistic interpretation of the world. They’re all special and unique in their own way, and I’m sure all these travel enthusiasts are more than pleased with their commitment to their bodies. Personally I don’t think I could tolerate number 10 on the sole of my foot though.. ouch!

If you’ve seen some artistic designs which appeal to you, why not check out our Map Art section and see what amazing map designs we sell.

Do you have any map related tattoos? Would you ever get one for yourself? Let us know in the comments below.

A affordable yet chic wallpaper in classic colours, which makes it ideal for the home or office.

]]>http://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/index.php/2014/10/13/world-map-wallpaper-3/feed/How to create your very own travel momento - a photo map!http://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/index.php/2014/09/02/photo-map/
http://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/index.php/2014/09/02/photo-map/#commentsTue, 02 Sep 2014 13:39:30 +0000Alice Carterhttp://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/?p=2283Each week I can spend hours on Pinterest, re-pinning loads of great ideas and products on to my ever increasing number of boards. The latest great craft tip that I saw this week, I was especially excited by – as it involved incorporating my love of travel with my love of maps.

Having only just come back recently from my latest summer trip, I was looking for a way of displaying my travel snaps in a fun and refreshing way. When I stumbled upon the idea of using a map of the place you have visited, as the background mount for a holiday photo. It seemed like such a simple, yet perfect solution to recording my memories of my vacation - a photo map.

I decided to test out what this would look like with one of my photos, and it was so easy and quick that I am definitely going to do this with several more travel snaps. In fact, I may also use this photo map as a way of making a fun and cheap travel gift for Christmas and Birthdays for family and friends.

Check out the images below and see for yourself how simple it is to make your own photo map!

Everything that you need to make the photo map!

Our photo map of Italy

]]>http://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/index.php/2014/09/02/photo-map/feed/Personalise Your World and create your own travel story this summerhttp://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/index.php/2014/08/15/personalised-travel-map/
http://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/index.php/2014/08/15/personalised-travel-map/#commentsFri, 15 Aug 2014 12:00:56 +0000Alice Carterhttp://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/?p=2238In recent times we have seen a growing fascination with maps, and we believe this is partly down to people travelling more than ever and the desire to explore the world, especially to far-flung places. We have come up with a great way of keeping track of where you want to go next and marking on the memories already made on previous holidays– this is through our personalised travel map.

With each world map being mounted onto a pinboard and with the option to add travel tags, pins and your own title and subtitle – you can really make the map your own travel story. What we love about this, is that it can last for years and grows over time – as you explore more places.

You can use this travel map to mark on your own journeys but also those of loved ones – you can for example pin on postcards or travel mementos brought back for you from friends and family. As well as pinning on airline boarding passes and tickets to sights and attractions, which you have visited over the years.

Check out the images below to see our Personalised Travel Map, annotated with postcards and memories collected from across the globe.

Personalised Travel Map

Rio de Janeiro 2012

Tanzania 2007 & Thailand 2014

Personalised Travel Map with luggage tags

Australasia Travels

North America Travels

]]>http://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/index.php/2014/08/15/personalised-travel-map/feed/Survive the school holidays with the help of our world maps - keeping the kids entertained this summer!http://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/index.php/2014/07/03/survive-the-school-holidays-with-the-help-of-our-world-maps-keeping-the-kids-entertained-this-summer/
http://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/index.php/2014/07/03/survive-the-school-holidays-with-the-help-of-our-world-maps-keeping-the-kids-entertained-this-summer/#commentsThu, 03 Jul 2014 15:57:03 +0000Alice Carterhttp://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/?p=2188Entertaining the kids during the summer holidays, can always be challenging especially with the Great British weather to contend with. However, do not fear we have the answer to keeping them occupied and in the process improve their geography knowledge.

Our doodle map is able to let the children’s imagination run wild as the world comes alive, as they draw their story across the map. The English Channel may become inhabited by a powerful sea monster armed with a sword and shield, Europe might become a secret base full of ninjas. Anything is possible!

After the sun sets and night descends, why not use a glow in the dark world map or glow in the dark star map for kids to provide some ambient lighting to the kid’s bedroom. So they can see that what they thought was a monster, was in fact their coat hanging on the back of the bedroom door! It can also make a great fun addition to kid’s sleepovers or maybe they could even see it glow in their den - which they’ve built under the stairs…

Our Glow in the Dark Map of the World

Our Doodle World Map

Our Doodle World Map

]]>http://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/index.php/2014/07/03/survive-the-school-holidays-with-the-help-of-our-world-maps-keeping-the-kids-entertained-this-summer/feed/We are going nuts for the Brazil World Cup, with our own office sweepstake plotted on our World Map!http://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/index.php/2014/06/12/brazil-world-cup-sweepstake/
http://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/index.php/2014/06/12/brazil-world-cup-sweepstake/#commentsThu, 12 Jun 2014 15:38:00 +0000Alice Carterhttp://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/?p=2151

The atmosphere in Maps International has become rather competitive, as the World Cup gets underway today. Everyone in the office has taken part in a sweepstake, entering two whole pounds of their own money in the hope of picking a team which will win the football tournament.

My two picks were – Russia and Nigeria – these are not the two favourites in the competition with the odds of Russia winning being put as 125 -1 and Nigeria’s odds are 300 – 1. However, for me the World Cup is not just about cheering on our teams to win but also about immersing ourselves in football fever. So why not join in with your own sweepstake, with bringing together your family and friends to take part?

]]>http://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/index.php/2014/06/12/brazil-world-cup-sweepstake/feed/Where in the world are you sitting? Maps as wedding table planshttp://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/index.php/2014/04/10/map-wedding-table-plan/
http://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/index.php/2014/04/10/map-wedding-table-plan/#commentsThu, 10 Apr 2014 15:20:56 +0000Alice Carterhttp://www.mapsinternational.co.uk/blog/?p=2122The wedding season is upon us and why not incorporate your love of travel and discovering new places, by using one of our very own maps as a table plan. The idea is to name each table after a country you have visited together or have yet to explore. You could take inspiration from various things, such as your honeymoon destination or the countries where family and friends are travelling from to be there for your special day. This table plan really is truly unique and will be different for everyone, it adds a great personal touch to your wedding and it makes a great talking point too!

The photos seen below, show our Executive World Map personalised and in a laminated and pinboard mounted finish.

Check out our Executive World Map in use as a wedding table plan below, to see for yourself how your love of travel can be included on your big day.